Niagara Falls is a tourist destination all year long, but some might argue it's most stunning during the winter months.

The recent cold weather has left the areas surrounding Niagara Falls encrusted in ice, and the photos are enchanting.

The surface water and mist in the air turns to ice, and covers the nearby tree branches and guardrails. It's truly a sight to behold.

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(MORE: Exploring the Enchanted Ice Castles in North Woodstock, New Hampshire)

The falls themselves are too voluminous and powerful to freeze, but prior to 1964, ice would sometimes block the flow further up river, reducing the water flow on the U.S. side of the falls to the point of freezing, according to NiagaraFallsUSA.com. Steel ice-booms now prevent large collections of ice before the falls. But it's still common for surface water to freeze as it moves over the falls, creating a collection of ice below the falls that can be more than 40 feet thick.

Even more common is the mist that freezes, covering everything within reach in ice, as seen in the photos above. Click through the slideshow to be transported to a wintery wonderland.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: Photos from the Coldest City on Earth

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.